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Model: dark_art_or_magic_bullet
A new book by the author of ‘Making Every Photon Count’, due for publication in time for Christmas.
Whereas ‘Making Every Photon Count’ concentrates on the equipment and capture techniques required for successful deep sky astro-photography, ‘Dark Art or Magic Bullet?' covers image processing, mainly using PhotoShop.
Excellent. Some struggle with alignment, others focusing, but personally my biggest obstacle to progress so far has been a distinct lack of Photo Shop knowledge, so this book is a breath of fresh air. Steve writes in a meticulous, articulated manner that conveys the key step by step info you will need in short paragraphs that are easy to follow. i now process with the image on the monitor, and the book in my lap. you literally cannot go wrong !! Now i use offset bias frames as well for the first time, the results are impressive, Go to www.nightskyimages.co.uk and look at Steve's images on his website, this should eviscerate any concerns about the price, which is actually damn good, ( under £20 ) considering the effort that goes into producing something of this quality. The service and customer care from FLO is first class to suit....
As a big fan of "making every photon count" Steve probably set the bar a little too high for "Dark Art".I'm struggling my way through the book and as a beginner, it's nearly impossible to understand what is being discussed. Even when sat down at the computer and referencing the book as you work through the programs is very difficult as you have no frame of reference. I'm sorry to say that a book is the least effective format for guidance with imaging software. I've had much higher success with processing using YouTube videos showing real-time walkthroughs. I imagine the book is very useful if you understand the fundamentals of the programs referenced but unfortunately is of very little use to beginners. Quite disappointed!
This is a great book for those looking for some in-depth relevant information on getting started in this field. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it and will refer to it no doubt time and time again.
Astro Photography is a huge step up from Visual Astronomy. The latter I have enjoyed for many years using different Telescopes. The photographic journey has just recently begun for me, and although I've prepared well equipment wise, my knowledge on the subject was pretty sparse. I have bought several Books on the subject, but none have really held my attention for very long.I bought the Book 'Make Every Photon Count' by Steve Richards, and found it an absorbing read, although I have not finished reading it completely. Steve's recent book, 'Dark Art or Magic Bullet' is going to be a huge help to me in my Endeavour to become proficient in the pursuit of Data gathering, and the very important aspect of Image processing.Steve Richards is a highly respected Imager of the night sky, If I can produce work anywhere near as good as his, I'll be forever grateful to him for those books he has written for the benefit of myself, and many other aspiring Astro. Photographers.
Highly recommend this book and written to a high standard!! and very good price for the information it provides 5 stars from me!!!
I read the book almost, it was simple complication and straight forward, love it, i highly recommend it, thanks Steve Richards and thanks "FLO".
Having been very impressed with 'Making Every Photon Count' I was very quick to buy this when it became available. In the beginning there is so much mention of Maxim DL that I have found this a bit disconcerting. If you use Maxim DL then you may find this book invaluable. If you do not use Maxim DL and have no intention of doing so, then, in my opinion, some of this book will be wasted on you. Whilst there is much to be gained from the book in a general sense, the constant references to Maxim DL in the early stages, can leave you thinking it was primarily aimed at users of that application.